After leading by as many as five in the first half, the size and speed of the Blue Devils was simply too much to overcome, even in front of what was by far the best home crowd Virginia has seen all season.
After a strong 74-71 road win against Miami on Saturday, Virginia basketball will look to recreate its best moment of the season, as No. 7 Duke comes to John Paul Jones arena Wednesday evening.
Despite being down as many as 10 points in the second half, the Cavaliers came back to grab an important road victory to keep pace in the ACC standings.
Despite good performances from Virginia's front court, the lack of perimeter shooting was ultimately the demise of the Cavaliers in the rivalry game.
Senior forward Jayden Gardner scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Cavaliers to an even stronger in-conference record.
Sophomore guard Reece Beekman capped off a historic night for the Cavaliers with a clutch three-pointer.
In front of the best home crowd the team has seen all year, Virginia finally put it all together, proving that on its best day, it can play with anyone in the ACC.
Four different Cavaliers scored more than 10 points, and the Virginia defense stifled Boston College
The past 11 games have seen a streaky Virginia team looking different from one game to the next.
Virginia struggled to defend the three-point line in a loss where the Cavaliers simply could not keep up with the Fighting Irish.
For every De’Andre Hunter that has benefited from a stable program and the wisdom of a tenured coach, there have been thousands of highly-ranked recruits that never quite adjusted.
The Cavaliers, led by 15 points from Kihei Clark, bounced back at home following a tough loss to NC State.
Albeit in defeat, junior guard Armaan Franklin paced the Cavaliers with fourteen points while sophomore guard Reece Beekman showed promise once again on both sides of the ball.
Virginia once again faltered due to offensive stagnancy for several important minutes, giving way to a 13-point Wake Forest run late in the second half.
Leading scorer senior forward Jayden Gardner was uncharacteristically quiet, but junior center Francisco Caffaro stepped up with the game of his life, scoring a career-high 16 points to keep the Hokies from their first ACC victory.
The Cavaliers simply could not get anything going in the second half offensively, making just one field goal over a span of about 17 minutes.
The Cavaliers — playing in their last non-conference matchup before the ACC slate — benefited from their depth in a blowout victory against a winless opponent.
After sputtering through their first 10 games, the Cavaliers still have yet to find their identity. There have been lots of ups and downs, and Bennett’s squad has some work to do.
After clawing back from an early 21-point deficit to the Hawkeyes (7-0, 0-0 Big Ten), the Cavaliers (5-3, 0-0 ACC) witnessed a jumper from senior Iowa guard Joe Toussaint fall through the net to end any dreams of a triumphant comeback.
Junior guard Armaan Franklin and senior forward Jayden Gardner — the two notable transfers for this new-look Cavalier team — have established themselves as the clear-cut scorers for a roster that requires offensive energy at times.
